Florida PIRG

Part of the Public Interest Network

Search

Trending

Close

Close

Ed
Mierzwinski

Senior Director, Federal Consumer Program, PIRG

Started on staff: 1977
B.A., M.S., University of Connecticut
Ed oversees U.S. PIRG’s federal consumer program, helping to lead national efforts to improve consumer credit reporting laws, identity theft protections, product safety regulations and more. Ed is co-founder and continuing leader of the coalition, Americans For Financial Reform, which fought for the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, including as its centerpiece the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He was awarded the Consumer Federation of America’s Esther Peterson Consumer Service Award in 2006, Privacy International’s Brandeis Award in 2003, and numerous annual “Top Lobbyist” awards from The Hill and other outlets. Ed lives in Virginia, and on weekends he enjoys biking with friends on the many local bicycle trails.

Posts by Ed Mierzwinski
FTC consumer chief calls industry’s false privacy choices “coercion”
Privacy graphic

Consumer alerts

FTC consumer chief calls industry’s false privacy choices “coercion”

Wow. The FTC's consumer chief gave a powerful speech this week that essentially said "privacy notice and choice" are not enough in a surveillance-based economy. "When we’re expecting consumers to have to choose between participating in the digital economy and protecting their privacy, we’re not giving them a choice at all – what we’re really describing is coercion." Cover image by g4||4is "Privacy. The "i" is a lock" via Flickr. Some rights reserved.

Why Is Big Tech moving into payments? One reason: So you’ll buy more.
fintech graphic

Consumer alerts

Why Is Big Tech moving into payments? One reason: So you’ll buy more.

The CFPB is looking at the impact of Big Tech's entry into the payments space. It asked Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, Paypal (owner of Venmo) and Square (owner of Cash App) for answers. PIRG and the Center for Digital Democracy have filed a comment on the threats Big Tech entry poses to consumers, competitors and the banking system. This blog also links to comments by other colleagues. Cover image Fintech by CafeCredit.com via Flickr, some rights reserved.

Should you buy now and pay later?

Consumer alerts

Should you buy now and pay later?

Today, the Task Force on Financial Technology of the House Financial Services Committee holds a hearing titled “Buy Now, Pay More Later? Investigating Risks and Benefits of BNPL and Other Emerging Fintech Cash Flow Products.” Learn more. Image of hand and smartphone "Sezzle" courtesy The Focal Project via Flickr, some rights reserved.

House to take key vote to protect consumers today
FTC building at night

Consumer alerts

House to take key vote to protect consumers today

Today, the U.S. House takes a key vote. HR2668, the Consumer Protection and Recovery Act, would restore the FTC's Section 13(b) authority to hold wrongdoers accountable and compensate consumer-victims harmed by their actions. The Supreme Court had recently ruled that the power, used for over 40 years to recover billions, was not clearly articulated in law. Cover photo via Flickr by Mr. Blue MauMau, some rights reserved.

Show More

Close

Close